Clasp



; 1952 AH FONG LAU AH YOU 2,581,825

CLASP Filed Feb. 14. 1946 I INVENTOR. Jih Fongllaufih Ybw Patented Jan. 8, 1Q52 CLASP AhFong Lau 'Ah'iYOll, flonolulu Territory-gofn Hawaii. Y

Application February 14, 1946; Serial asimzs lLlaim.

This invention relates to-.=key.and key chain holders.

The" principal object of'the invention isthe provision of a holder-ofthecharacter described which maybe locked to the trouser belt 'or'other support to prevent accidental displacement thereof and consequent loss of the keys carried by it.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an article of the character described which may very readily be hung upon the trouser belt and equally as readily removed therefrom.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an article of the character described which is of simple construction, easily made of few inexpensive parts.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the device showing it in open position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, partly broken away, to show the device in closed or locked position; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the three parts comprising said device, showing said parts separate from each other.

The device herein claimed comprises a supporting member It] by which the holder as a whole is supported from a trouser belt or other support, a locking member H which performs two functions, one being to lock the supporting member In on the belt and the other being to carry the third member of the device, to wit, a ring I 2 which may be used to carry the keys proper or a key chain.

Reference to Fig. 3 will show that the supporting member comprises a U-shaped member of which one leg I5 is longer than the other leg l6. At the end of leg I6 is an aperture I! to permit the locking member H to be pivoted to this leg. This U-shaped member is made preferably of spring steel to render it possible to spread the legs apart as will hereinafter be mentioned, and yet to have these legs return to their original position. This member may, of course, be made of any other suitable material such as plastic material.

The locking member I I is in the form of a plate which at one end is looped as at to receive the ring l2 and at the other end is bent back on itself to form a folded portion having loops 2| and 22 at its ends. The folded portion thus formed acts as a link pivoted at loop 2| to the end of leaf or leg I6 and its length is greater than the normal distance between the legs. l5 and I5 throughithe pivot :point and nite position by means of the loop 22 when the link is swung around its pivot point to direct its slope to the right as viewed in Figure 1.

It will be noted in the drawing that the looking member II is hinged to the supporting member It! in the following manner: The middle loop 2| is looped around the bar l9 which is formed at the very end of the short leg 16 of the supporting member In. When the locking member H is thus hingedly connected to the supporting member ID, it will be seen particularly in Fig. 2 that the loop 20 abuts the lower end of long leg 15 and the loop 22 enters the opening l8 of said long leg l5. To remove the loop 22 from the opening [8 and thereby to open the supporting member It, the locking member H is pushed or pulled to the position shown in Fig. 1.

The ring l2 may be of any conventional construction and of any desirable material and it is pivoted to the loop 20. The two ends 30 of said ring l2 serve as the pivot proper and the loop 20 serves as the socket for said pivot. As a practical proposition, the device hereinabove described may be locked by simply grasping the ring and pulling it to the position shown' in Fig. 2 and the device may be unlocked by pulling said ring to the position shown in Fig. 1. The ring may be used to carry keys or it may be used to carry a chain for keys or a watch or similar articles.

As viewed in Figure 1, when the link is disposed in a position directed to the left of the rectangular line above mentioned, the device is unlocked and when the link is disposed in a position directed to the right of said line the device is locked and a belt or other element held between the link and the end of the U between the legs l5 and 16 can not move out and the more this is tried, the more the link is forced into locking engagement in the aperture 18. As will be apparent, as the plate I! is swung to the left from the position shown in Figure 1, the link will move to the right and because of its length will spread the legs apart as it reaches this rectangular position after which the legs will snap toward each other and the loop 22 or end of the link will be forced by the resiliency of the legs into the aperture l8 and will be held therein. Therefore, it is clear that a simple pull on the ring l2 in one direction or the other will lock and unlock the device at right'angles to both. legs; The rest of the "plate Ii actsrasza. handle tdoperate :the'link and to support the ring L l2. Antaperture l8 isformedinthe leg -15 toones side ofzthis .rectangular line' and acts as a recess or :notch toireceiveiandx latchithe linke in 1a defi-v i 3 and the weight of the ring and the elements supported thereon will keep the device locked when it is supported on a belt or similar support.

It will be understood that the foregoing is but a preferred embodiment of the invention and it may be modified in different ways without departing from the basic principles of the invention. For example, this invention has above been describedv as relating principallyto key and key chain holders. Actually,'this invention may be usedrin a number of different ways as, for example, a paper clamp or a clamp used in any other" similar connection.

I claim:

A holder including a pair of legs/of a resilient U-shaped member, a lock link pivoted at one end to one leg and of a length'greater than the" normal line between the legs drawn through the I pivot point, the other leg having a latching recess therein on the side of said normal line toward the base of'the U-shape'd'member, said recess adaptedto receive'the unpivoted end of said link,

, the resiliency of the legs holding the unpivoted 4 the legs, an operating plate connected at one end to said link to move it one way or the other, and a key ring pivotally connected to the other end of said plate.

AH FONG LAU AH YOU.

file of this patent; g

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 385,330 Taylor June 26, 1888 580,975 Hanson Apr. 20, 1897 691,566 Ortner Jan. 21, 1902 802,140 Doane Oct. 17, 1905 1,365,169 Goldberg Jan. 11, 1921 1,419,403 Polhemus June 13, 1922 1,848,032 Tessier Mar. 1, 1932 2,267,331 Guyot Dec. 23, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 400,204 France --p. May 24, 1909 52 ,451

France Mar. 31, 1921 

